From a team standpoint it was another rough week for Luis Silva but from an individual standpoint, the Toronto FC midfielder enjoyed as good a week as possible. Silva scored a goal and assisted on another in Toronto's 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy, earning him SBI's MLS Rookie of the Wee...

By FRANCO PANIZO Sacha Kljestan has quietly put together a solid season for RSC Anderlecht, but he made some noise in the club's latest win on Sunday. Kljestan scored his third goal of the season (fourth across all competitions) in Anderlecht's 4-2 win over Racing Genk when he fired home a fre...

The Colorado Rapids are shifting their philosophy after going through a front office and technical staff overhaul, and that change is spreading to the field as well after the club announced the signing of Colombian attacking midfielder Jaime Castrillon from Independiente Medellin. The 28-yea...

I don't know a lot about this cat but how cool is it that he won ROY in Mexico? We need an attacking wing player too. It's a little nervy that he's elibible to play for the US, El Salvador, or Mexico. He hasn't been capped for the US yet, so he's still up for grabs I believe. Lastly, how cool is his name? It's almost a made-up name for an ad-campaign.
Felicidades, Joe. Well done.

Joe Corona appears destined for a big 2012 as he continues to contribute for Club Tijuana while becoming a bigger part of the U.S. national team set-up. All of that is on the heels of what was just recognized as a pretty sharp 2011. The 21-year-old Corona won the Golden Ball as Mexico's top ...

By FRANCO PANIZO Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht returned to league action this weekend for the first time since December, and they both picked up right where they left off. RSC Anderlecht continued its winning ways with a 3-0 victory over third-place Club Brugge on Sunday. As has become the...

By FRANCO PANIZO A week after enduring one of his worst performances of the season, Clint Dempsey responded in a big way. Dempsey lifted Fulham to victory over Bolton Wanderes on Saturday, scoring a goal and assisting on another in the 2-0 affair. Dempsey found the back of the net with a well-...

By FRANCO PANIZO A week after enduring one of his worst performances of the season, Clint Dempsey responded in a big way. Dempsey lifted Fulham to victory over Bolton Wanderes on Saturday, scoring a goal and assisting on another in the 2-0 affair. Dempsey found the back of the net with a well-...

Yes, I'll buy that for uneducated Euro footballers. They live a fairly insular existence. However, for the average European, they know a lot about the US. To wit, if you go to any National Park in the US in the summer you're gonna run into enough Euros to get a little kick-about going practically anytime.

Omar Bravo is gone. David Beckham could be gone. Nicolas Anelka isn't coming. The Designated Player landscape in MLS is changing and evolving, and even with teams having the flexibility to go after younger DP options or giving players like league veteran Shalrie Joseph a DP deal, the lure of...

A year removed from winning MLS Cup, the Colorado Rapids are undergoing major changes to their staff and front office. With Gary Smith already out as head coach, managing director Jeff Plush became the latest to leave the club, doing so after six years on the job, according to a team release...

He said it was a "gevelidig" goal, fantastic! He commented on the good combination outside the box, the one-two, and he said the goal was difficult because of the tight space because of three defenders around him. He was going to go on about the goal/Jozy, but the vid was cut off.

By FRANCO PANIZO Jozy Altidore has been no stranger to scoring nice goals this season, but the one he bagged this weekend is arguably among his best of the year. Altidore finished off a beautiful passing sequence in AZ Alkmaar's match against Heerenveen when he got an open look from close rang...

Serious questions were being asked of the U.S. men's national team's offense after six games in the Jurgen Klinsmann era, but the Americans answered some of them in their final game of the year. The United States won its first game on European soil in three years with a 3-2 victory over Slov...

By FRANCO PANIZO Jozy Altidore has reason to celebrate, and not just because it's his birthday. Altidore found the back of the net for the first time since Sept. 29 by capping the scoring in AZ Alkmaar's 3-0 victory over ADO Den Haag on the day he turned 22 years old. Altidore initiated a give...

They are like Fiorentina last year; make a great CL run, won their group, lost controversially to Bayern, but finished mid-table in Serie A. They just didn't have the depth to throw everything at the CL and then compete in Serie A.

photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO On a weekend where there were few positives to take away, Sacha Kljestan returned to RSC Anderlecht's starting lineup as the club won big to take over first place in the Jupiler Pro League. Kljestan started, played 90 minutes and received a ye...

As a Rapids fan, I'm sad to see Anthony Wallace go. He was our starting leftback, he's a solid player, very athletic and stong, and he's gotta lot of years left in him at 21.
I wish him well and hope he plays his way into the USMNT team picture.

The Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps are ready to make the first selections in the 2011 MLS Expansion Draft. The Timbers have already begun building their team with the signings of USSF D-2 standouts Ryan Pore Eddie Johnson and Bright Dike, while the Whitecaps recently unveiled...

It was a very physical game, but the players did what the ref allowed. Soccer is known as the Beautiful Game, but the finals of tournaments are rarely beautiful; players get hyped up, get tight, tons of nerves, and that does not lend itself to free-flowing, attacking football. Think of the WC final where you had some brilliant footballers playing ugly, but leaving it all out on the pitch. Last year's Champions League Final was not a clinic on fluid play, either.
The NBA is fun to watch when the play is high-flying, fast-breaking action, but the Finals are more often won by the grittier team, when the creative play is neutralized by prepared defenses.
So, in a word, don't expect a work of art in a final. Last night was hell of entertaining, though.

BY ADAM SERRANO TORONTO - Destiny, grit and determination. The words that have come to symbolize the 2010 season for the MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids. The Rapids captured their first MLS Cup trophy with a 2-1 victory over FC Dallas in extra time preserving the Rocky Mountain dominance of ...

Photo by ISIPhotos.com Juan Agudelo's birthday is six days away, but he got his best present a week early, scoring the game-winning goal to help the U.S. men's national team top South Africa in exhibition action in Cape Town on Wednesday. Fellow debutant Mikkel Diskerud worked a give-and-go ...

It took a few days, but a video of Jozy Altidore's Carling Cup goal has finally surfaced (thanks to SBI reader Alex). Here's his 30-yard free-kick blast: What did you think of the goal? Ready to see Altidore try some free kicks for the U.S. national team? Share your thoughts below.

You can argue 'till you're blue in the face about whether LD is as good as another player in Europe, or would fit in well with this or that club - but you can't tell unless you see him get significant minutes in one of the top leagues. He's tough to put a value on right now which is why I think he shoudl give Europe another go now, while he's not too old. Until he goes head-to-head with top defenders in Serie A (for example), sporting directors don't know what they're getting, which is why I think you're not seeing him attract a lot of attention. If he plays a year at Livorno and shows his quality - even it the team gets relegated he'll get picked up.
BTW - Fiorentina is not a mid-table club, for the record. They've finished 4th in a 20-team table 4 years in a row.

Landon Donovan figured to start drawing fresh interest from European clubs after his command performance in the Confederations Cup. The first of those clubs has emerged, and it could bring Donovan to Serie A. According to the Gazzeta dello Sport, Donovan is being targeted by recently promoted...

I don't think Toni will start. He's been out of form and I think Bayern don't even want him back (he's 32). Gila had a great year (25 goals all comp.), is more fit and in better form. He's not a guy who scares the hell out of you with the ball at his feet. He needs good service, or he'll poach a goal here or there. He gets caught offside a lot. He gets it done, though. I'm curious how Gooch will do.

Photo by ISIphotos.com The U.S. men's national team will play its first rematch from the 2006 World Cup today as they take on defending World Cup champion Italy (2:25pm, ESPN). The U.S. team was the only opponent not to lose to Italy at the 2006 World C...

I agree with Paul Lorinczi - Conor Casey should get a look. He's leading the MLS in scoring right now, is still only 27, and is just a classy player. He's not the fastest guy on the pitch, but he's strong as an ox, and has a football IQ that's off the charts. Just a thought.

Good morning all. I am coming to you from San Jose, Costa Rica, where the U.S. men's national team will be arriving today ahead of Wednesday night's crucial CONCACAF World Cup qualifier vs. Costa Rica. I will be providing updates from San Jose periodically so be sure to check in to SBI for th...